Five Nighthawks reach double-figures in won over Lander

DAHLONEGA -- Shaquan Cantrell highlighted a balanced offensive attack that featured five players in double figures as the North Georgia men's basketball team posted an 81-79 win over Lander on Saturday afternoon in Memorial Hall.<br /> <br /> The win was in front of a capacity crowd of just under 1,400 fans and punctuated North Georgia's 2015 Homecoming festivities.<br /> <br /> North Georgia improves to 14-6 overall and 7-5 in Peach Belt Conference play while Lander slips to 15-5, 7-5 PBC.<br /> <br /> Travis Core came off the bench to add 15 points, while Tyler Dominy and T.J. Williams added 13 apiece. Sean Brennan added 10 points, including eight from the charity stripe.<br /> <br /> Cantrell made good on all but one of his seven field goal attempts. Core added eight rebounds and five assists, both team-bests. <br /> <br /> Lander's J.R. Washington led all scorers with 18 points. Kiair Crouch added 17, while Ricardo Martin and Mike Lee pitched in with 15 apiece. <br /> <br /> Lander led by as many as nine points in the first half, but a late 14-4 run by the Nighthawks brought the game to a single possession contest at intermission.<br /> <br /> North Georgia led by as many as seven on three different occasions in the second half.<br /> <br /> Leading by four (81-77) with just 17 seconds remaining, North Georgia saw LU's Lee make a pair of free throws before the Bearcats swiped the inbounds pass from the Nighthawks, setting up one final possession for Lander.<br /> <br /> A three-point attempt from Washington with three seconds remaining was long, ending the Lander threat.<br /> <br /> The Nighthawks play the second of three home games in a week on Wednesday, Feb. 4 when the team entertains Young Harris with a 7:30 p.m. tip off.